Editor's note: Mr. Hunter writes in response to the BayToday story Rota votes to keep carbon tax.
-----
Dear Mr. Rota:
I’m a constituent who lives in your riding (North Bay).
I’m very disappointed that you personally are not listening to the voice of your constituents. A majority of Canadians have now figured out that the Carbon Tax isn’t a good idea for Canada. It’s a really lousy idea for Canada and even worse for the Constituents in your riding who are so dependent upon vehicle travel and home heating.
The government is supposed to listen to the voice of the people, and when a government party is more worried about its own image and agenda, the country's political will starts to move against it.
Might I suggest holding multiple referendums on important issues in Canada, as we are a well-educated and informed people. Isn’t that how a democracy is supposed to work? This should be especially important (mandatory?) when opinion and polls start to show that a Government isn’t following the will of the people.
My question to you is, that when the Carbon Tax was announced, your party stated, “The rebate cheques that taxpayers will receive will cover the cost of the Carbon Tax levied against goods they consume in Canada.”
Can you please provide me with the most current relevant data to back up this promise?
As someone with an Economics and Business background, I can tell you that with the Carbon Tax driving (pun intended) the cost of delivering items by truck up at an alarming pace, there is no way that my rebate cheques cover the increase in “fuel surcharges” applied to all items in our economy. Ask any trucker or trucking company to confirm the enormous cost transfers to other businesses based on fuel prices. Look at the price of goods shipped to grocery stores (All shipped by truck). This cannot be blamed solely on Corporate profits…. the Carbon Tax is a major part of the problem.
The Liberal Party needs to get out of its own smoke cloud and figure out exactly how to fix Canada’s economy:
- Show some respect to the needs of Alberta citizens with its potential country-saving reserve of resources. People from all across the country are moving to work there…
- Complete the pipelines that we’ve already started planning and purchasing. Support the growth of the Fossil Fuel industry. Fossil fuels aren’t disappearing anytime soon. (please see below)
- Let all Canadians rejoice in the benefits of its oil and gas industry. Why aren’t all Canadians benefitting from lower gas prices? Why isn’t Canada exporting gas to the United States to help both of our economies? Canadian taxpayer money helped build the industry, so why can’t we all benefit? Look out for our own! Canadians don’t do this enough.
- Get rid of the Carbon Tax, people don’t understand it, don’t need it, and don’t want it! We don’t want it forced on us. This is going to be a big item debated in the next election, might want to start listening now. Why are we pointing a gun at the head of one of the biggest industries in the country?
As someone in the Auto Industry, I’ve had a front-row seat to the Government hysteria over doing away with Gasoline Combustion Engines.
Knowledgeable people in the industry (especially in Canada) are not sure how the Government is planning to enforce its targets. Internal Combustion engines in Canada will be a requirement for at least the next 20 years. The Government (any government) has no chance (0%) of enforcing the current arbitrary targets.
We are now realizing that there are HUGE safety issues with eliminating Gasoline engines in the Northern Parts of Canada. There is a 0% chance that charging infrastructure will be in place before 20 years in the majority of Canada. Talk to the people who know (in the industry!) and they will tell you as much. Work on developing even more efficient combustion engines, alternative fuels that can be dispensed using our existing infrastructure, and hybrid technologies that work along with combustion are the keys to Canada's pollution problem. That’s the only path forward for Canada in the next couple of decades.
I look forward to your response to my question above, and furthermore am willing to discuss the facts I’ve presented in regards to Fossil Fuels/Combustion Engines if you desire.
Rex Hunter
North Bay
